1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is papillotome/sphincterotome procedures and medical wire guides used therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical wire guides are used in a wide range of medical procedures. Such wire guides are generally used to gain and to maintain access into certain regions of the body where a medical procedure is to be performed. For instance, a wire guide would typically be used to gain access into a vein. A catheter can then be passed over the wire guide and into the vein where the catheter can be operated to perform its desired function within the vein.
One particular type of procedure in which wire guides are used is a papillotome/sphincterotome procedure, whereby surgical incisions may be remotely made through an endoscope. The surgical incision is usually assisted by means of an electrical current which is placed through a bowed wire at the distal end of the papillotome/sphincterotome instrument. With some papillotome/sphincterotome instruments, the incising device is guided into the desired position for making an incision with the aid of a wire guide. When a wire guide is used, it is commonly left in place while the papillotome/sphincterotome instrument is operated, since its positioning is useful for subsequently providing access for other devices.
Typically, standard wire guides have been used in conjunction with papillotome/sphincterotome procedures. The use of such wires guides, though, has had the effect of causing complications in the course of these procedures, and the use of standard wire guides as the source of these complications has generally gone unrecognized. What is needed is a wire guide that is specially suited for use in papillotome/sphincterotome procedures and which enhances the effectiveness and safety of such operations.